Gov. Greg Abbott’s order banning mask mandates in Texas public schools is being roundly ignored. Late Monday, Austin Independent School District announced that it would follow Dallas schools in requiring masks to be worn on campus, and Houston’s school district has confirmed that it’s also looking into bringing in its own mask mandate. AISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde announced the mandate at a Monday night board meeting, saying: “It is very difficult to make these decisions and yet not difficult when we think about what some of the consequences can be.” Last month, Abbott signed an executive order prohibiting cities and government entities from using vaccine requirements or mask mandates to protect people from yet another surge of the coronavirus in the state. The wave has gotten so bad that, on Monday, Abbott confirmed that Texas will ask health-care workers from other states to help deal with its crisis.
